Diego Maradona Jr has condemned those who compare his father with Lionel Messi by saying they ‘don’t understand football’ after Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia.

Messi scored first for Argentina ahead in their World Cup opener from the penalty spot, only for Saudi Arabia to score two goals in the opening eight minutes of the second half to shock the Argentines.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is playing his fifth and final World Cup tournament which might be the last chance he has at winning the competition, while Maradona won the World Cup for Argentina in 1986.

While talking to Radio Marte in Italy, Maradona Jr claimed that his father and Messi are not on the same level.

He said: “I am devastated by the defeat of Argentina. I find it hard to believe that all this really happened. Losing to Saudi Arabia is crazy.

“The comparison between Messi and my dad is made by those who don’t see and don’t understand football. We are talking about two different planets. But I don’t want to throw the cross at Lionel right away.

While reacting to Argentina’s shocking defeat, he said: “Sometimes in football, you lose even against much weaker opponents.

“I don’t think Argentina was presumptuous today. Rather, he was afraid. Soccer is like that. If you don’t close the games, even the poorest teams will come after you.”